If you make photocopies of the adoption paperwork, make some of the vet bills too. If the parents of the little boy show up, let them see how much it cost to get that poor dog back to a healthy condition.

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~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Common sense is not a gift, but a curse. Because thenyou have to deal with all the people who don't have it. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I want to say that he is a beautiful dog and I am glad he chose such a loving home.

I don't think any kid can be held responsible for the neglect that was due to the adults. It is good though to see you reaching out to the boy, letting him see what good pet owners do and he can still be friends with the dog.

The only reason I can see the parents coming after the dog is not because of the dog but because he belonged to him. He was their possession. Not due to love, but ownership.

The last pic of Rocky in the car headed to the park made me smile and tear up at the same time. Real doggy joy.

The boy may have known the dog was not well. Or, he may not have known. We don't know the child and cannot judge. The parents may not have cared, or they may not have had the means to care for the dog, or perhaps they neglect the boy the same way they did the dog. Again, we don't know, and cannot judge.

I think it's extraordinarily kind to allow the boy to visit Rocky, and I also think it's an enormous opportunity for him to learn what proper pet care entails, and what kind of responsibility it really is. His parents may not have known any better/didn't care, but allowing the child to be exposed to a well-cared-for Rocky (and the OP's other dogs, as they may be out on a walk along with Rocky) may very well be what tips the scale to help the boy grow up to be a GOOD and RESPONSIBLE pet owner.

I'm glad to see Rocky clearly thriving in his home with you! What a happy pup

My only advice with letting the young boy visit is to only say that you got Rocky from the pound. Don't mention that you were the ones to take him there. Who knows what the previous owners think, but I wouldn't want them to get it in theirs minds and think that you must have plotted and deliberately stole their dog, took it to the pound just so you could have him. Some people aren't as rational as the rest of us.

The OP has also said that due to the worms that just feeding Rocky wouldn't have made him gain weight or be healthy, so even if the 10 year old was feeding him regularly it wouldn't have made a difference (so we don't know that he wasn't)

Both Rocky and the boy seem to like each other so if the OP is happy to let them continue a friendship in her house then all credit to her,

My in-laws have had dogs all their life. Never an indoor dog, always an outdoor. They live on a farm, where this is an accepted practice. Their last dog (springer spaniel) lived nearly its entire life without being groomed--he always looked like a mess. He was groomed by a professional once in its lifetime. They fed him Ol' Roy dogfood, but "knew best" because he was "fat and healthy." They don't take dogs to the vet, and neuter by banding them, like pigs. After that dog passed, they got a new dog that they keep in a run nearly all time, because he runs off. Last year at Thanksgiving, FIL told us that he hadn't been outside to see the dog/let it out for 4 days. They think we are weird for keeping inside dogs.

FIL's brother had several small outside dogs--the males weren't fixed and were allowed to wander all over. They reek because they're outside all the time, and are never bathed or groomed. They were slowly picked off by coyotes--instead of bringing all the dogs inside after that happened, they allowed the dogs to continue living outside 24/7. Eventually they were left with one dog. GFIL took the one dog after GMIL passed. He wanted to get the dog fixed. They thought he was ridiculous and that it was a waste of money--after all, the dog had lived 10 years without being fixed, it was fine. They refused to drive GFIL to the vet to neuter the dog.

DH was raised his whole life thinking this was fairly typical dog care. He now knows better. Hopefully the boy in the OP will someday realize that there is such a thing as pet care as well.

There's this problem with rabbits as well. Parents get them for their kids and expect them to figure their care out on their own. Then the shelter is the recipient of a filthy, hand shy, unaltered rabbit with overgrown nails and teeth.

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'I shall sit here quietly by the fire for a bit, and perhaps go out later for a sniff of air. Mind your Ps and Qs, and don't forget that you are supposed to be escaping in secret, and are still on the high-road and not very far from the Shire!' -FOTR

I have always wondered, if you have a dog but leave it in a run/outdoors all day, never play, work or interact with it...why even have the dog in the first place?

My dogs are a part of my family; they live indoors with me and come with me whenever feasible when I go places. I enjoy their company; they are my companions. I would never just toss them outside and ignore them; if I'd planned to do that, I never would have gotten them to begin with.

LadyMisha -- I'm chiming in late, but I just wanted to let you know that I think you are marvelous!

Both for taking in the pup and allowing the child to come over and play with puppy.

When I first got my Daisy (a rescue rot) I.did.not.want.a.dog. but LDH and DDs persuasion was heavy. It was mostly Daisy, herself, that grabbed my heart. The foster parents brought Daisy to my home for a visit, discussion, see if we were a good fit. As soon as that dog walked into my home, she came right to me. She wouldn't leave my side.

There was no way that dog was leaving my her new home.

I like to think that Daisy found me . . . just like your puppy found you.

I knew nothing about dogs. Never had one. What do they eat? How much do they eat? What do you need to look for as far as sickness? How often do you take them to a vet?

I was in my 40's. I was thrown into a tizzy about how to properly care for/train a dog. I did a lot of on-line research. I can't imagine a 10 year old figuring out if the dog needs to go to a vet or not. The DDs knew to clean up the yard, give Daisy food and water and give her plenty of exercise. That's about it. They learned with me whenever we took the dog to the vet. I had no clue about heartworm meds, etc.

I agree with the PPers that said it's not the child's fault.

I also agree with the PPers that said OP is doing a good deed by letting the child come over and play with her puppy. She will be able to teach him a few things about the responsibility of animal ownership.

LadyMisha, this puppy found you because he knew that you needed him and that he will be loved. Kudos to you!

P.S. How old is Rocky? Would you please provide a link to your previous thread?

I have always wondered, if you have a dog but leave it in a run/outdoors all day, never play, work or interact with it...why even have the dog in the first place?

My dogs are a part of my family; they live indoors with me and come with me whenever feasible when I go places. I enjoy their company; they are my companions. I would never just toss them outside and ignore them; if I'd planned to do that, I never would have gotten them to begin with.

I know, right? Especially a smart, social breed like springers (FIL's breed of choice.) FIL says he likes having a dog around, it's good companionship (although I doubt the level of companionship one can achieve with an always-outdoor, infrequently-played-with farm dog). But he also has that "animals are for food not fun" mentality. He probably thinks by feeding it Ol' Roy instead of letting it fend for itself that he's bonding with it or something.

Growing up, our neighbors got an Irish Setter. He was a beautiful dog. Unfortunately when he grew up, Mrs. Neighbor decided she didn't want him in the house. So, Mr. Neighbor made a dog hous for him and tied him up near the garden. The kids were responsible for bringing him water and food, which they did. After a while, the kids didn't like to go by him because he got all excited and jumped up and wanted to play with them. They would leave the food just close enough for him to get to, but that was it. My mother would wander over to him almost every day to talk to and pet him for a little while. She was the only one the dog listened to. I sometimes went with her and would play with him for a little while. Then one day he was gone. I never did find out what happened to him, but he was a sweet dog while he was there.

As near as we can figure, he's around 3 (this jives with what the neighborhood kids told us too). He's got a serious happy go lucky kind of attitude and we couldn't be happier with him. If we could just get him to respond to voice commands to stay in the yard, we'd be great!